


The Superhero AU Nobody Wanted

by At_the_moment



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Bad Luck, Boardering On Crack, Formulaic, Hilarity Ensues, If you're looking for a fun, Light Angst, Light-Hearted, M/M, No Real Angst, Now with teaser, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Romantic Comedy, So. Much. Flirting, being chronically late, bonkers - Freeform, crack taken seriously tho, dating mishaps, episodic, light hearted comedy, once a month updates, shifting pov, superhero au, this is it, weird jobs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:22:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22293262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/At_the_moment/pseuds/At_the_moment
Summary: After a dog-inspired meet-cute, two men try to survive the perils of dating in a superhero and supervillain filled world.
Relationships: Mark Fischbach/Sean McLoughlin
Comments: 21
Kudos: 38





	1. Episode 1

Mark had gotten up early to take his golden retriever puppy, Chica, out for a walk. It was a bit foggy out that morning as he and Chica trotted along the sidewalk to the local dog park a few blocks away from his apartment. His ears filled with his jogging playlist, keeping him pumped up as his lungs expanded for air.

The black iron gate had been opened and a few dogs were already bounding around. Chica was already pulling at her leash at the sight of them. Mark laughed as he sped up a little, making his way through the gate. He unhooked Chica’s leash and she went sprinting towards the few other dogs there.

He decided to keep jogging around the paths, making sure to keep Chica in his line of sight.

It was an hour later, Mark had sat down to recover and drink some water when he finally decided to head back home. He called Chica over and hooked her back on her leash. He stood up and began to make his way out of the dog park. He’d had his earbuds in listening to some music as the iron-wrought gate was coming up. He’d twisted the leash tightly around his hand as he looked down at his phone to skip over some of the songs when another jogger turned into the dog park.

Chica excitedly pulled towards him, off-balancing Mark and caused him to trip into the oncoming jogger as Chica ran around them both.

Mark let out a sharp gasp as he was suddenly slammed into the chest of another man. His legs got tangled up in Chica’s ever-winding leash as his phone hit the other man’s wrist. In a panic Mark cried out to Chica to slow down, to stop, but that caused her to jerk towards him causing a sudden shift in weight to be pulled out from under him.

The two tumbled back, the other man’s back hit the brick fence holding up the gates, causing Mark to be pulled along and crash further into the man. The tumble had been so sudden and jerky that Mark ended up smacking his nose on the bricks above the man’s shoulder. Chica pulled the leash around the two’s legs tighter as Mark slowly got his wits about him again.

Mark tried to push off the wall behind him, giving him and the man a bit of distance from one another. One final time he growled out for Chica to stop. He heard a small whine behind him and then the patter of claws hitting the pavement before finally the soft whisper of Chica’s tail wagging back and forth.

Mark breathed a sigh of relief and finally looked up at the man to say an apology. He nearly couldn’t get the words out, because as he stared up at the man, all he could see was an ocean of blue. “O-oh…” He breathily stuttered out before blinking and shaking his head slightly, “OH MY GOD I’M SO SORRY!”

He went to pull away again, but due to both of their legs being caught up in the leash, he ended up just off-balancing them.

They both cried out as they teetered unsteadily. The blue-eyed man frantically pulled back to keep his balance against the wall, which pulled Mark to him again.

Mark was shaking from the adrenaline and embarrassment of the entire situation. “I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry!” He kept repeating as the two struggle to step out of the jury-rigged confines that his dog had put them into. Chica did her best to help, jumping slightly and whining to show support.

The man before him simply laughed. “It’s fine, man, haha! It’s fine!”

Finally, Mark was able to get his legs loose and pull free. He stumbled back and ended up falling flat on his ass. He closed his eyes and heaved a deep sigh, trying to calm his shaking and pinched his aching nose.

When he next opened his eyes, he saw the man in front of him. He was laughing as Chica jumped all over him, pushing him back against the brick wall, trying to give him all the wet doggy kisses she could.

Mark felt flush with embarrassment again but suspected the little flutter in his heart had more to do with that laugh that his pupper’s antics.

He slowly stood up and brushed himself off before calling to Chica to get down. Chica let out one more whine before she backed off. Mark put away his phone and earphones, figured he’d put it in a safe place before it got broken.

“Awe, you’re such a good pupper, yes you are, yes you are!” The man said in a high lilting voice as he awkwardly leaned down to continue to pet her, even as she sat down at the behest of her owner.

Mark sighed again and moved forward. “I’m really sorry, she’s still in training.”

The man waved him off as the two then worked to get the rest of the leash off his legs and back to Chica.

Finally when all was settled the two men finally looked at each other again. Mark gave an awkward smile and thought he might as well introduce himself to this cutie in front of him. “I’m Mark.” He said, holding out his hand.

The man gave him a bright smile before it immediately fell and terror filled his eyes. “Oh my god, your nose!” The man rushed forward as Mark stood there in confusion.

The man reached into his pocket as Mark slowly realized he felt warm liquid dripping into his mouth, it tasted like iron. Mark gasped as he put a hand to his nose. The blue-eyed man pulled out a handkerchief and held it out for him. Mark took it without thinking and shoved it to his nose, wincing slightly at the action.

“Oh god, are you going to be okay?” The man asked, blinking those eyes full of so much concern that it made Mark’s heart hurt a little.

It was Mark’s turn to wave him off. “It's fine. I don’t think it's broken.” Mark let out a chuckle for extra reassurance.

The man seemed to be comforted, giving a nod before his own nervous smile. He let out a small answering chuckle, giving a lopsided grin before stepping back as Mark took care of his nose. “I’m Jack.” The man answered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly

Suddenly there was a loud bark and the two looked down at the wagging tail of Chica.  
Mark gave an exasperated huff as he smiled down at his baby girl. He bent down and she trotted happily over to him for ear scritches. “And this little rascal is Chica.”

The man, Jack, bent down with him to start petting her too. This made Chica’s tail wag extra hard for the second set of rubbings. “Haha, it's nice to meet you both. Especially this beautiful girl right here!”

“Are you sure that it’s not just the dog?” Mark asked, going slightly out on a limb with his flirting.

Jack chuckled. “Well, maybe a little because of the dog, but anyone who owns a dog is on my nice list. I wish I had one, but my apartment, unfortunately, doesn’t allow them.”

“That’s too bad,” Mark answered, shaking his head slightly in sympathy. Sure it took a few trips to a trainer to get a solid handle on Chica at first, but now he couldn’t picture his life without her.

“It really is a shame.” With Jack’s answer, their conversation came to a grinding halt. They stood there petting Chica in awkward silence for a while. Jack looking slightly away at the awkwardness.

“So...you come here often?” Mark inwardly cringed, sounding like a creepy dude at a bar, and just at the cheesy pickup line in general.

Jack finally looked back up at him and burst into a short fit of laughter. “I had some weird burst of personal motivation,” He said wiping his eyes from invisible tears. “and felt like I should run today, but no,” Jack chuckled a little more “No, I don’t normally come here.”

Mark knew that Jack wasn’t lying because he himself went to this dog park fairly often and hadn’t seen Jack once. He’d think he’d remember seeing such a gorgeous man here before.

Mark was about to ask if he’d be interested in going out for coffee after this when they both heard it before they actually saw it, a rock the size of a semi-truck hurtling towards them, making a noise, not unlike that of a screaming balloon.

They both turned and in the few precious moments of the meteor still being in the air the two couldn’t take their eyes off of it. But Mark managed to grasp Jack’s hand and pull him just outside the gate of the dog park. In the next second, there was a loud explosion and the two were thrown into the air.

. . .

It took a few moments for them to come too, sirens were wailing as smoke and dust filled the air. The two of them began hacking and coughing as suddenly a surge of people began to run and scream in panic. Mark was the first to get his bearings enough to stand.  
He quickly located Chica now barking and pulling at her leash, and then turned to help up Jack who was holding his head.

Their clothes were singed from the hot air of the explosion. There seemed to be another loud sound, but smaller this time. The ground rumbled and the two wobbled as they clutched hands and pitched side to side. Then they joined the crowd of screaming thousands.

They heard the wailing of ambulances and saw the flashing lights. They ran towards them nearly tripping over someone who had fallen. The two turned to the person quickly helping them up.

“Are you okay!?” Mark shouted over the din while Jack dusted them off.

The person stared at them wide-eyed but before they could answer there was a loud cracking sound and the group split, the two heading towards the blinking lights and the other person sprinting to the left.

It was good too because a rift had opened up in the center of the dog park. Thankfully, Chica was by Mark’s side. The two had to catch their breath against a wall for a moment and Mark took this opportunity to kneel to the ground and caressed Chica’s head, murmuring words of affirmation.

The coming aftershocks rocked the city as the citizens screamed and ran in a flurry of panic. However, as Jack, Mark, and Chica continued their difficult journey to safety, it became clear that the sounds were being dampened. There was a moment of a suffocating vacuum of silence that engulfed the masses.

And then…

A bright beam of light shot up from the crack, avatar the last airbender style, and everything went white.

. . .

Jack was seated in the back of one of many ambulances now dotting the street.

“So I had a little shrapnel in my arm, you had it in your leg. We’re really swish cheeses,” Jack chuckled after all the chaos was done, trying to lighten the mood.

The paramedic laughed along with them. “Guys, I’ve never seen two people so scratched up and not sobbing, so you’re more like strong cookies,”

“At least we’re not tough cookies, what a bad texture.” Mark chimed in and Chica barked in agreement.

Most of the damage was outside this particular ring of the city, nobody except those immediately within the area were at critical risk. So while the paramedic began to collect his things to begin to help others injuries Mark and Jack fell into silence.

Jack smiled awkwardly and attempted to get up but had a sudden hit of a dizzy spell and Mark rushed forward to keep him from falling. Chica moving closer and jumping slightly and whining.

Once Mark was certain Jack was okay the two shared another chuckle before Mark awkwardly looked down again.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a little green rectangle. It was a Starbucks gift card. He picked it up, giving a crooked smile to Jack and said, “Finding this is almost as lucky as finding you.”

There was a pause and then Jack burst into guttural laughter. “That was… the worst… oh my fucking God!” He wheezed between gawfs.

Mark laughed along with him, tension-releasing as the laughter eventually died. “So, uh, that was my weird way of asking you if you wanted to go out for a coffee later maybe?”

Jack smiled, taking the gift card between his finger, “Sure, we can see if this is even valid any more. A momento”

Jack smile widened as Mark lit up. In a moment of weakness, Mark pumped his fist and exclaiming “YEAH!” Before catching himself again, slapping a hand over his mouth.

The two burst into laughter again as Chica barked happily and jumped up next to Jack and began to lick his face.

Mark wasn’t expecting the day to go like this. But with the familiar faces, flying through the sky, it still felt like a normal day. He glanced at Jack, who was happily spoiling his dog. Maybe it was a better day after all.


	2. Episode 2 Teaser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teaser

_Hey, its Jack._

_I believe I was promised a coffee date?_

**These two men...**

_Yeah i did promise that didn’t I?_

**Will have to deal with something sinister...**

A scream was heard in the backroom and a barista came running out looking pale. 

**Something crazy...**

Jack’s drink suddenly lifted out of his hand and hung in mid-air for a second before disappearing entirely.

**An infestation..**. **** ~~~~

"More and more of them, like termites out of the woodwork."

**Like you wouldn't believe!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming February 19th!


	3. Episode 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Mark have their coffee date!

It was the day after the random meteor had dropped itself into the dog park. There had been a quarantine afterward which guaranteed Jack another day off at least from his job as a warehouse manager. Which also meant that after he and the cute guy he’d run into (literally) had met and exchanged numbers after promising to have a coffee date at Starbucks

Jack twirled the gift card between his fingers as he shifted between staring at it contemplatively and his phone, his thumb hovering over the contact **_Mark from the dog park XD._ **

_Hey, its Jack._

_I believe I was promised a coffee date?_ He sent an attachment of the gift card then he waited. 

_Yeah i did promise that didn’t I?_

_Haha_

_Um..._

_Would you be interested in heading over to the Starbucks on maple street with me in an hour?_

_I’m off today after what happened yesterday._

_I’m really feelin’ a latte._

_You?_

Jack’s fingers trembled a little as he happily laughed at Mark’s rapid-fire texts. So this was it. He’d successfully scored a date with a hot dude. 

_Sure, why not? I’m feeling a mocha. See you there!_

Jack smiled, still twirling the gift card. He was pretty excited to see Mark, after all, the man was extremely cute with the dog and all. But all sorts of nervous butterflies still plagued his stomach... He didn’t want to come on too strong.

He had been taken aback by suddenly getting rammed into, and Mark’s cheesy pick-up lines were a bit over the top. So maybe it wasn’t too hard to keep it cool. After all, he did accept the invite even after all of that. Perhaps that old adage was right, “birds of a feather flock together”.

What should he wear though? He’d dated before, but after he’d gotten the job in the warehouse district it has been a bit hard to see people. It wasn’t a bar or a fancy restaurant, just a Starbucks. Usually, when he went to get his morning coffee, he’d wear his work clothes or even just pajamas. What was the appropriate attire for Starbucks? Obviously not green, even if it was his aesthetic. Would it be too overdressed to wear a nice shirt and jeans? Should he wear a more worn shirt? Should he appear to have more important things to do than be there to the barista? Would that come off the wrong way to Mark?

He finally settled on just some nice jeans with a few slight rips and a black band t-shirt. Good. It wasn’t too matchy-matchy, and it could double as a conversation starter. 

He looked at his phone to see how much time he had left before he had to leave. He had about ten minutes, he hadn’t realized he’d been freaking out that long. He quickly fixed his hair, brushed his teeth and dashed out the door, pulling his coat from its hanger as he did.

About a block or two away, he came to a sudden halt. He couldn’t show up looking like he sprinted the entire way there. He took a moment to try and regained his composure. He fixed up his hair again in a window and started walking at a normal pace towards the store. 

Jack was so caught up in his ‘acting cool’ running his hands through his hair tick that he didn’t notice Mark walk up. Both of them seemed to be caught up in their own thoughts, and once again, the two accidentally ran into each other, quite literally.

Jack teetered on his feet, but Mark was quick to try and set him onto his feet again, which unfortunately caused a lot of weird torso-rubbing on Mark’s end. Worse, Mark pulled Jack just a little too hard and they toppled, luckily not to the ground but against the Starbucks window, Mark against the wall this time.

This situation had escalated way too quickly, and Jack just hoped there wasn’t another meteor on its way to round off the colliding coincidence. 

After a moment where both of them silently scream to themselves about this, both blushing furiously. Jack had closed his eyes hoping to collect himself when he heard Mark begin to chuckle. This was the catalyst that spurred both of these useless gays into a belly-deep laughter fit.

Jack stepped back, hand on Mark’s shoulder as he clutched his stomach; Mark leaned more into the window clutching his.

When they had both caught their breath, they looked each other in the eyes and burst into laughter again. The sound echoed down the street, and they were not sorry to say that they got stares from passers-by in the five minutes it took them to finally calm down.

“So,” Mark asked, attempting to catch his breath for the umpteenth time, “That’s a way to greet a date.” A cheeky grin spreading across his face, he overdramatically bowed deeply before he swept open the door and motioned Jack in.

Jack happily chuckled and bowed back before crossing the threshold into the busy coffee shop, Mark following closely behind. 

“Hmm, what do you think I should get?” Jack asked.

Mark shrugged, “You’re the one with the gift card. I normally just get black coffee with a little bit of cream though. I’m a minimalist.” 

“I thought you were feeling a latte, big man.” Jack chuckled, elbowing Mark playfully.

“Well, maybe it was just an excuse to see you…” Mark looked up at Jack through his eyelashes.

Jack blushed bright red, muttering under his breath, “Goddamn, smooth ass motherfucker,” And turned to the menu above the counter, ignoring Mark's corrective comment of having a thicc ass.

Jack decided to hand over the card before ordering, it probably had a specific type of coffee he could get. The cashier wrung him up, apparently, it was a grande mocha frappuccino with chocolate bits.

Mark then walked up and ordered, a latte with two shots of espresso. After the cashier told him the total Mark reached into his pocket for the money, but Jack quickly grabbed his wrist. He smiled and waved him off. As Jack extricated 6 dollars from his pocket to pay for his drink, he sighed. 

“This place is going to drain me dry. Maybe let’s try a cheaper place next time.” Jack grinned, eyeing Mark’s reaction at the prospect of a second date. Mark smiled at him. There was no comment against it so Jack considered that a plus.

“So, inside or outside table?” Jack asked after a few minutes when the barista called their names.

“Well, it is only thirty-something degrees today, and I would prefer not to freeze my glorious ass off, so let’s stay inside.”

Jack rolled his eyes and nodded as they headed for a table amongst the aspiring college writers mooching off the wifi. “Global warming man.” Then shook his head in unison with Mark. Just yesterday it had been a nice sixty degrees spring day. 

The two took their seats sitting across from one another in a booth. The two sipped their drinks as an awkward silence fell over them as they tried to think of topics to bring up for conversation.

“So uh, you run a lot?” Jack said, after a bit, trying to hide his awkwardness behind the lid of his coffee.

Mark had been mid-slurp and nearly coughed the coffee back up at the sudden question.

“U-u-uh, yeah? I mean, yes but only out with Chica on my days off. I usually hit the gym after my nine to five at my landscaping job. I actually helped design that dog park!” Mark preened slightly 

Jack grinned at Mark’s adorable hubris. “That’s so cool, I work in the warehouse district. The only real accomplishment I have is funding. There’s so much more paperwork and budgeting than I thought there would be when I was offered the job as manager. I’ve kept my area clean though. The last boss tended to take shady deals if you get what I’m saying.”

Jack looked over his cup again, trying to gage Mark’s reaction. He nodded understandingly. “Yeah, every so often we get a bogus contract with a higher-up or something. I get that.”

They fell into another silence. They could probably continue to talk about work, tell some funny stories or complain, but who does that on a first date?

Jack hummed as he thought, did they have anything in common? What did he like? Playing drums, coffee, games… The jury’s out on the coffee for Mark but…

“So what do you do outside of jog on your days off?” Jack asked, starting innocently so he could work his way into it without jumping immediately into the topic he wanted.

Mark took a long swig of his coffee like he was preparing for something. “Well, not much.” He said after he put his cup down. “I usually relax if I don’t feel like I have paperwork I could do… also, play video games…” Mark said the last part quieter, sinking down in his chair, picking up his cup and hiding behind it again.

Jack grinned, relieved that he actually had something in common with this cute guy and could jump in with his ramble. “Really? Me too! I’ve been looking more at the indy games since Tell-Tale kind of screwed up. What about you?” Jack tried not to come off as too over excited, by the look on Mark’s face, he may not have succeeded.

Mark stared at him for a moment, before his face split into a wide grin, Hell yes, this guy was a gamer too! “Yeah, same! I always browse Steam before I go back to the triple-A titles. If, of course, I’m not in the middle of one anyway.”

“What are some of your favorites?” Jack asked, bouncing in his seat a little.

And so it went for the next hour or so, the two talked back and forth about as many games as the other.

Unfortunately, their conversation was cut short when Jack’s drink suddenly lifted out of his hand and hung in mid-air for a second before disappearing entirely. 

Jack and Mark both stared at the air where the coffee cup had been. Then Mark’s coffee did the same thing, then someone else’s cup did a levitation-disappearing act. Then someone else, then someone else, and so on until the entire establishment was full of grumbles and disbelieving shouts.

The manager of the Starbucks came out, giving two loud claps before he had everyone’s attention. “Due to an infestation of little green people, all of our coffee is gone.” A scream was heard in the backroom and a barista came running out looking pale. 

“T-they just kept on coming out of the beans. More and more of them, like termites out of the woodwork. They took our entire stock!” The barista yelled grabbing the manager and shaking him.

Mark and Jack looked at each other, they decided to call it and get the hell out of dodge. Others were miffed at the fact that their mostly full coffees were unable to be enjoyed.

They squeezed through the crowd of angry customers demanding refunds and could breathe a little fresh air. It was a bit warmer out so they decided for a stroll before finally parting ways. 

However, they didn’t get far because of the large black alien ship with tendrils lashing out that seemed to have ripped a hole in the sky. 

“Maybe we should cut this short…” Jack said, staring up at the tear in the fabric of the universe.

“Yeah maybe…” Mark was disappointed, however, Jack did have a point, a large tendril-y point. 

“I’ll uh, text you?”

Jack looked back at Mark a wide smile on his face. “Yes, definitely. I had fun, and I’d love to play co-op with you some time!” 

Mark grinned back before a tendril slammed into the street and the two went in opposite directions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'd love to see comments, send people you think would like this our way!


	4. Episode 3 Teaser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teaser

They had been planning a movie date for a while. There was a new superhero movie coming out and they’d thought they’d check it out for the laughs.

**When dealing with a really bad movie...**

The commercials ended and the movie began. It was a typical, Straight White Male™ for the lead and his bland as heck love interest, also straight and white. Bland, generic, just about anything. The only interesting character was the mentor figure, but he died half way into the third scene.

**Sometimes all you can really do...**

They stumbled blindly into the door, which teleported them out onto the street. The doorway behind them fully disappeared.

**Is Run!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming March 18th!


	5. Episode 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its Movie Date Time!

Mark woke up to a faint buzzing under his pillow and smiled. 

_Good morning_

The sender was labeled **Handsome Jack**. It had been a week since their last date and they had been texting back and forth since then; sending dog pictures and memes. Mark was itching to send a steamy text with a picture of just him in his bathrobe, but he knew it was too early in the relationship for something like that. It would be just a tad too forward...

Unless Jack asked of course. 

Mark chuckled and texted back

_Morning!_

_Still up for tonight?_

They had been planning a movie date for a while. There was a new superhero movie coming out and they’d thought they’d check it out for the laughs. 

_Of-fucking-course! I want to laugh my ass off at how badly hollywood gets it!_

_Now, this is just a formality,_

_but what’s your favorite movie snack?_

Mark rolled over after sending his text, stuffing his face into his pillow in a vain attempt to hide his goofy smile.

_Well, I like to grab a satchel and just buy snacks at the grocery store._

_There’s no reason a $1 box of candy should be that expensive._

_Have you ever gotten stopped?_

_NEVER_

Mark cackled at Jack’s text, imagining a slightly offended look on his face.

_They call me “Sneaky” Sean Mcgloughlin_

_I’m screaming...do they actually call you that?_

_Who even are “they”?_

_And I thought your name was Jack?_

_Nobody knows…._

_And Jack’s a nickname my mother gave me. It's what most people call me. But you can call me anytime ;p_

_Ha ha! Alright_

_Well, I gotta get a shower,_

_see you soon. ;*_

_Ta-ta_

Mark smiled, and prepared to get out of bed, which was surprisingly easier than it normally was, motivated by the thought of getting to see Jack. He’d always loved going to the movie theater. He had gone with his dad when he was younger, but as he had gotten older, he had gradually stopped. 

Time and money were now a factor and it just wasn’t worth it anymore. Why go to the movies without sharing popcorn and having someone to express your opinions to. To be honest, Mark was just kind of all around lonely. It wasn’t bad, per se, it was just a little too much to handle sometimes. It had been a while since he’d gone out with someone, and most of his work friends had wifes and/or children waiting for them at home.

But now...now it’s different. He giddily smiled as he hopped into the shower, barely stopping himself from squealing like an excited pig at the thought of being in a dark movie theater with Jack right next to him. Maybe they’d...share popcorn. And their hands would accidentally touch. He smiled dreamily at his innocent thoughts, then promptly slipped.

He managed to fall into the wall instead of his bare ass and possibly hitting his head. He leaned on the wall, catching his breath and winced at the pain on his left side.

“Dammit. That’s gonna leave a...mark.”

He giggled to himself, even as the pain in his hip continued throbbing. God, he was never _this_ bright and cheerful in the mornings. What the heck? Oh wait…he knew. That was all Jack’s doing.

He smiled, and it spread across his face like a ray of sunlight. Tonight was going to be great! 

Even Chica seemed to be excited, feeding off her owner's mood, jumping and barking around him as he got ready. He reached to pet her and she rolled onto her belly. After giving her a few scritches, he realized he’d gotten caught up and it was almost time for him to be at his office. He jumped up from the floor, and sprinted to his coat rack because somehow time had slipped away from him.

 _“How did this even happen?”_ was what he was thinking as he hurriedly pulled on his coat and ran out the door, only just remembering to lock it on the way out. His heart beating fast as he speed walked down the sidewalk, a bout of nervousness hit him, but he realized that really, he had nothing to worry about.

. . .

His day at work went by surprisingly quickly. By the time he ate his late lunch, it was almost six. He finished drafting a few more documents then hurried to the bus station to get his ride home so he could change out of his suit and into more-comfortable-movie-going clothes.

He and Jack had been sending scant texts while they worked and they ended up changing where they would meet because Jack’s day was going a bit longer than expected.

Mark bid Chica goodbye and left with his wallet and cellphone in his pockets. 

He walked the streets as the night began to descend. The streetlights began to turn on and Mark was bathed in the neon glow shining out of the storefronts.

He followed his GPS to a little bookstore Jack had instructed him to meet at. He walked in and looked around, though he doubted he’d see Jack yet. He was super nervous when he left, so when he glanced at the clock, it seemed like he was going to be late, but double checking, he was almost a half hour early here. Better to be early than late, he supposed with a small smile. Jack said he was going to be late too. So Mark simply sat down and began to play games on his phone.

Time passed and he reached a new level on this mobile game where he got to ‘play with dogs’. He’d race them and pet them and get cash for doing so, so he could race them again and get access to more dogs and tame them so that he could pet them.

After a while there was a thump in front of him and a stressed looking Jack slid down to sit across from him. He was breathing heavily, and his eyes darted around before they finally landed on Mark.

“You would not _believe_ the day I had,” Jack said. Mark realized that Jack was still in his business suit, which was now rumpled and his hair was clinging to his forehead with sweat.

“Oh?” Mark said with an amused smile.

Jack let out an exasperated sigh, “Sorry I’m late. We missed the first showing didn’t we?”

“Its fine.” Mark chuckled. “We can see the nine o’clock one.”

“Well,” Jack looked around the book shop, gathering his bag he just put down. “You maybe wanna get a snack? We have a while to wait.”

Mark gestured to himself, smiling. “Aren’t I a snack enough?”

Jack’s cheeks bulged for a second, like he was trying to hold in laughter. “You implying I’ll be snacking on you during the movie?”

Mark blushed. “Maybe.” He said boldly.

Jack laughed with a blush on his cheeks as well. “That may be the case, but I am at least not getting Choc Caps for more than two bucks.”

When he and Mark stood to go to the small grocery store across the street, Jack felt something brush his hand. He looked up, questioningly, and Mark smiled as he grasped his hand, causing Jack to go a brilliant carmine red.

Mark bit his tongue as he smiled at Jack, bright red himself, as the automatic doors parted for them.

It was an odd thing, shopping with someone that wasn’t family. Back in college, it wasn’t unusual for either of the men to go grocery shopping with their roommates. This was different and both knew that. Shopping, even for a few snacks to sneak in to a movie theater with someone who you were dating (albeit a new relationship) was an intimate thing. 

So as Jack grabbed a small red basket to put their fatty snacks in, Mark couldn’t help but be lost in thought. He stared at the man beside him, who was idly swinging their hands between them, almost like a child. He couldn’t help but let a smile slip onto his face.

Jack caught him staring, which caused a new shade of red to appear, as he also smiled and looked away. “Come on, time's a-wastin’!” And with that, Jack pulled Mark deeper into the store. A few aisles in, Jack started gradually speeding up, to the point where he was almost sprinting the length of the store to find the candy aisle.

Mark was helplessly pulled along, laughing as Jack’s child-like enthusiasm for candy surfaced in such an adorable, if slightly exasperating way.

Finally, when they finally found the candy aisle Jack’s eyes lit up. Mark was never big on sweets, but he was happy for his man. 

As Jack all but raided the candies, Mark picked out a few things for himself. Takis, pringles, and he even found some pocky. Thank goodness it was the chocolate kind, he didn’t know what he would have done if it had been... strawberry. Blech!

He was sure Jack would like it better too. After the two grown men happily humiliated themselves at the cash register by giggling like school kids, they paid and made their way out into the now lamp lit streets. Just as they walked out though, a thought hit Mark.

“Crap.” He looked at the pile of junk food in his arms, and then back at Jack, repeating the process a few times, until it finally sunk in. Jack sighed.

“We really have to sneak all of this in?” Mark asked

“Heh, sorry.” Jack gave an adorable looking pout and Mark couldn’t say no.

“Quick then.” Mark glanced at his watch

Jack opened up his bag, and they stuffed as much as they could in it, before taking the rest and putting it under their shirts. Mark put a box of pocky on top of his head, and stage whispered, “Do you think they’ll catch me?”

“I doubt it, Mister Sneaky.” Jack laughed before plucking the pocky off.

The two then made their way to a bus station. While they sat waiting for the next bus. Jack decided to open the pocky. He munched it, the sound echoing around the terminal. 

“Could you do that any louder?” a woman snapped next to them.

In retaliation, Mark also grabbed a few sticks and crunched as loudly as possible.

The woman ended up glaring at them for a solid five minutes before walking away to another bus stop.

Mark and Jack looked at each other, mouths full of pocky, before bursting into messy laughter. The two swallowed, Mark took the box and looked in. There was one more left.

He decided to take a risk. He put the non-chocolate side in his mouth and turned towards Jack in an offering gesture.

Jack blinked back at him for a second, nearly making Mark lose his nerve, before Jack bit into the chocolate end. Each took turns biting off a chunk before they were so close they were cross eyed looking at each other.

Mark tried not to breathe too hard as his heart hammered in his chest. It was a solid moment of the two just staring at each other, waiting for one of them to make the last move.

Finally in a blur, just before Mark was going to let it all drop, Jack moved quickly, closing his eyes and pushing his lips the rest of the way around the last bit of pocky. Their lips brushed as Jack pulled away, eating the last bite. Mark was left slightly stunned, his mouth agape as Jack licked his lips and smiled, a hint of blush on his cheeks.

Before Mark could say anything foolish like “I fucking love you!” the bus pulled into their station and Jack stood up. 

“Shall we?” he asked, extending a hand, and hoisting a still-dumbfounded Mark to a standing position, although his slight frame strained with the effort.

Jack huffed slightly. “I need to start working out again,” He muttered, as he braided his fingers through Mark’s, pulling him on the bus as the doors closed behind them.

. . .

They found themselves in time for the movie, and after getting their popcorn they snuck in silently as the commercials started. The stupid surround sound test played, and Jack covered his ears. It had always been hard for him to deal with noises like that. He moved aside a few of the snacks and pulled out some earplugs. He showed them to Mark, offering an extra for him.

Mark happily took them, twisting and sticking them in his ears so he didn’t have to deal with hearing loss at age 30. They sat relatively close to the screen, so the sound washed over them in waves, and Mark was super thankful for Jack’s forward thinking.

The commercials ended and the movie began. It was a typical, Straight White Male™ for the lead and his bland as heck love interest, also straight and white. Bland generic, just about anything. The only interesting character was the mentor figure, but he died half way into the third scene.

“You wanna blow this popsicle stand?” Jack whispered about an hour in.

“Why not…anything else could be more interesting than this.”

Just as the two were about to leave, the room began to shake. They thought it was just the sound. The evil villain was doing his big monologue while obnoxiously loud bass played. But as dust began to fall down from the ceiling; through the screen came a figure, ripping it in two.

This person was cloaked in purple and black with obviously gnarled hands coming out of the tattered sleeves. He let out a laugh that boomed through the room as if he was wearing a microphone and lept towards the first few rows. He planted himself in the row right in front of Jack, staring at the two men in front of him.

“Ah. Shit.” Jack said, before he and Mark ducked as a laser of blue-green light zapped above them.

Both were huddled underneath the seats, and Mark could slowly feel his breathing speeding up. 

“Don’t worry…” Jack said. “This is going to be fine. We’re going to be fine.” 

They heard the sound of heavy boots clomping towards them and then all went dark.

All the light came from was a few more zaps. However, they heard a familiar sound of someone punching another, and they could assume it was one of the locals. Someone grabbed ahold of Mark and whispered, “Come on.”

Mark and Jack nodded invisibly and followed Heavy Boots to the exit under the cover of darkness, hands clasped. They heard a zap behind them, and saw the exit in front starting to disintegrate. If they didn’t get out, they’d be stuck in here for a while.

Heavy Boots grabbed Mark, startling him into letting Jack’s hand go and tossed him, bodily, into a row of seats closer to the exit. When Mark hit, he felt all of the air rush out of his lungs, then Jack landed next to him, letting out an “oof” as all air fled his body too. Jack tried to sit up, but immediately fell to the ground with his head spinning, surrounded by popcorn and spilled drinks.

Mark helped Jack up, both wobbling, to see Heavy Boots, a tall military clad guy, shooting a beam from a gun at the exit. “GO!” He yelled at the two of them. Disorienting as it was, with the fighting behind them and the sound of the gun, they stumbled blindly into the door, which teleported them out onto the street. The doorway behind them then fully disappeared.

Not crumbled...just, blipped out of existence. Everyone who was inside appeared to have made it out, even through the commotion, but there was no sign of their rescuer.

Jack and Mark caught their breath for a moment, before running through the crowd. Their vision swam slightly, before they finally got behind a police line. They were sure their rescuer was fine, being military and all, he was trained in helping during situations like this. He might even be helping whoever was still in there. He didn’t seem like the kind who would panic in the face of terror, but they still wanted to thank him at some point. 

So they waited behind the police line, as the officers took statements and tried to calm the crowd. Mark mentally rehearsed what he was going to say, without giving away anything that seemed...too strange. He was probably just imagining it, but Heavy Boots’ gun had seemed like it quite definitely didn’t belong in this world, per se.

He was probably involved in the military testing of extraterrestrial activity. Though it was common knowledge the government did this, it was still in bad taste to bring it up to what is a complete stranger. But Mark had to concentrate, just pretend it was a shotgun, shining in the projector light. Yeah. That’s what it was.

In Jack’s mind, a very similar train of thought was going on, but his was a little bit more paranoid. What was going to happen? First the little alien things at the coffee shop and then the guy with the gun. What if Mark thought he was the one bringing all this bad luck to them? What if Mark simply wouldn’t reschedule because he thought the physical danger of everything that had been happening was...because of Jack?

This kind of stuff happened all the time, sure. What with the crazed supervillians and the heroes that stopped them. But this was twice now something had happened in the middle of their dates! Something about them seemed to be drawing supernatural activity towards them. Well, whatever it was, they still couldn’t be sure, it was just bad luck after all. But Jack still resolved to reassure Mark it wasn’t all that bad.

“Hey Mark?” Jack said.

Mark looked at him with a smile, “Yeah, hey. Really weird coincidences right?” He chuckled, hoping to show Jack he wasn’t worried and that, yeah, this was normal. They lived in a world of superheros and villians, weird shit like this happens all the time. It was no big deal.

Mark took Jack’s hand and squeezed. “I had a good time anyway! I mean that movie was terrible. Good riddance right?”

Jack laughed as little bit of his nervousness eased, “Yeah, yeah you’re right, and hey!” Jack pulled out a bag of sunchips from under his shirt. “We still got these!!!”

Mark happily grabbed a handful and while stuffing his face, he said, “Hey, would you maybe want to… try again? Third time’s the charm right?”

“Heh. Yeah. I’d like that.” Jack smiled, taking a few chips for himself. “How about… Dinner? I know a good place on 10th?”

Mark smiled wider, swallowing. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded kind of...crunchy. “Yes. I’m so down!”

The two laughed into the night, anticipating what would happen next time.


	6. Episode 4 Teaser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teaser

**Sometimes plans don't work out...**

Dinner was going to have to wait until Jack had a night off.

**So plans change...**

He made some quick decisions on what he was going to pack.

**Sometimes the plans turn out worse!**

They both yelled as they pushed in forward momentum, shaking like crazy as they were jerked around by the awkward tandem bike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Join us tomorrow For Episode 4!


	7. Episode 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its a nice day for a picnic.

Jack would have been lying if he said that his heart didn’t skip a beat every. Single. Time his phone dinged for the next two days. 

It was a Wednesday morning, at 8:01am SHARP, and when Jack felt the buzz underneath his pillow, he still got that little rush of adrenaline as he flipped it over a supersonic speed and checked the sender. He did a fist pump of monumental proportions when he saw Mark’s name, and that good serotonin™ rushed through his brain as he read that they were to maybe go on a picnic date today? Dinner was going to have to wait until Jack had a night off. He looked out the window, and found it to be the perfect kind of day. Slightly windy, perfectly cool. Maybe Mark would wear that hot flannel he’d sent a picture of him in…

_Um, yes, i’d love to go. are you supplying the munchies?_ Jack’s stomach growled just at the thought

_if i can remember correctly, i was the one who paid for all of the food last time. It’s all on you,_ _Buckaroo_

Jack let out a whine. _awww, come on. help me out?_

_fine, but only because you’re so adorable. bring your favorite snack, and i’ll bring mine._

Jack giggled at Mark’s complement, resisting the urge to say that Mark himself was his favorite snack. _it’s a deal. see you at 1:30?_

_i’ll be counting the seconds… ;)_

Jack smiled, then quickly wondered what the hell he was going to bring. You always know what your favorite food is until you actually have to think about it, y’know?

Peanut Butter crackers were good, but he didn’t know if Mark was allergic. This thing wasn’t even really a full picnic with a basket of sandwiches and coleslaw and whatever else. It was more, Jack and Mark’s lunches lined up, they had to postpone their dinner plans because Jack suddenly got put on the night shift, and the dog park where they first met had opened again. So just a small snack to hold them over until they got home from work.

His phone dinged again, _Hey you allergic to anything?_

Jack smiled, feeling relief wash over him. _I was just thinking the same thing_

_No I’m not_

_Me neither_

When Jack saw that, he made some quick decisions on what he was going to pack. He almost jumped down all his steps to get to the kitchen, his socks sliding him into a chair. He winced as a sharp pain shot through his midsection. He let out an oof but quickly recovered. 

He began to raid his cabinets, tossing bags of pretzels and tins of nuts on the floor. After a particularly loud crash, he looked down and sighed. Of course, now there were salt and vinegar almonds all over the floor. He threw his hands up in the air as he stared at the seasoned deliciousness spread out over the linoleum. It was times like these where he really wished he had a dog.

The tedious nature of the clean up became obvious as he thought about how much time it would take to clean his entire apartment. He finally sighed, the bigger pieces in hand and dusted the rest away. But now he was almost half an hour behind, and he still didn’t have a snack to take. He tried to think quickly but panic was coursing through his veins, even if he still had enough time. His shift started in twenty minutes and he had to leave now!

With a frustrated grunt he grabbed a big bag of fluffy popcorn, a bag of now-broken pretzels, and ritz crackers. He remembered a trick, and grabbed a jar of chunky peanut butter so he could quickly turn them into...you guessed it, homemade peanut butter crackers. He threw it all in his bag and ran out the door.

. . .

The warehouse district was a little way out of town by the wharf. He walked into the offices and greeted the receptionist. “Hey Jul.” 

The young, dark haired girl waved back. “Afternoon. Here are the statements and contracts.”

Jack nodded, collecting the papers in hand before going up a flight of stairs to his office. His feet echoed their way up. He took his seat and started to fill out paperwork. Stuff was getting moved in and out, some warehouses were being emptied and torn down, others were being built. The warehouse district was a constant moving entity that sometimes consumed and other times shriveled; depending on what evil organization or mad scientist or government lab was doing that week. 

Jack being the manager of several warehouses tended to worry from day to day if he’d have a job the coming week. So far however, the stress hadn’t done him in. That being said, he now had to worry about something outside of work that wasn’t bills. 

He kept checking his watch at the beginning of his shift, then got lost in the paperwork at some point and before he knew it, it was nearly sunset.

He set aside the paper he was working on and grabbed his bag and headed down the stairs. “Taking my lunch Jul!” He said to her as he exited the building.

He sent a quick text to Mark to meet him at the bike rental.

. . .

Jack saw Mark intently staring at his phone as he came from his bus stop.

Mark looked up from his seat on the bench by the bike rental as Jack called his name. He smiled as he saw Jack half-running towards him with a slightly panicked expression on his face.

“I’m so sorry I’m late...I lost track of time.”

“It’s completely fine, I didn’t know you were so excited to see me…” Mark said flirtatiously.

Jack blushed, and Mark offered his arm. “Shall we?”

Mark escorted Jack into the rentalshop.

“Tandem or separate?”

“Oh, we may as well do the whole sappy couple thing and give in.”

“Tandem it is.”

The two laughed as they paid for their rental. “You know we really need to keep a better track of time, we’ve been late to almost all of our dates!” Jack said as he straightened up the tandem bike.

Mark bit his cheek in thought, “Yeah I noticed that too. Heh, I guess we just need to focus better!” Mark remarked as he began to realize something. “Uh, hey, have you actually ever rode tandem?”

Jack looked at his seat, pursing his lips into a pop, “Nope!”

“Well, neither have I” Mark said, “This is going to be interesting. Front or back seat?”

“Back, I’ll let you handle this.” Jack toyed with the back handles before sitting on the seat, trying to figure out internally how this was actually going to go.

“Thanks for the vote of support!” Mark chuckled before straddling the seat like Jack. They both had their feet acting as kickstands after some fiddling.

“Alright, how about on the count of three?” Mark said.

“Okay. One?” Jack began to count

“Two.” Mark readied his posture to push off.

“THREE!” They both yelled as they pushed in forward momentum shaking like crazy as they were jerked around by the awkward tandem bike.

. . . 

It took a bit, but by the time they got to the park they had figured it out. They parked the bike and chained it up. Then they sat down under a tree and watched the dogs all around them get up to fluffy fun. There was a scar left by the meteor, but other than that it was back to being the same dog park where they first met.

Mark pulled off his backpack and began to take out his snacks while Jack followed suit. “We should probably eat quickly.” Jack commented, see the dogs already sense that there was food. 

But as they pulled out their snacks, they heard a rattling. The ground began to shake and a trail of torn up earth was heading straight for them. Before anyone could react a giant, screeching, star-nosed mole came bursting out of the ground. Vaguely, Mark and Jack could hear something about the experiment being a success, but the crowd screaming tended to block that out.

The creature bowed itself inward and slammed its front two paws down. One landed on the tandem bike they’d rented and the other on the other side of them. They both sat in fear as they stared down the gaping maw of the beast. As they did this it became apparent that this wasn’t just a giant mole, but some sort of hybrid creature as the beast raised its rear, showing a long rattlesnake-like tail. The long fangs in its mouth dripped with venom, and where it splashed the ground, small holes appeared in the turf. Its forked tongue whipped out to taste the air, narrowly missing Jack’s nose.

The two held onto each other, they closed their eyes as the creature let out a wail that went into a register that humans couldn't hear, causing the dogs to yowl along with it.

Its head ducked like it was about to charge when, with a flash of red and yellow, the moles nose was crumpled inward and the aftershocks of the impact sent it flying back leaving a skid mark in the ground. 

Jack took a deep breath in as he watched it growl and prepare to attack again. Someone grabbed both him and Mark by their shoulders, causing them to snap out of their fear induced stupor and scramble away from the ensuing fight of man verses mutated nature.

. . .

Jack had to call in late for his lunch break due to the incident. His boss just ended up giving him the rest of the night off since he and Mark had to get their eardrums checked out.

It was a long night and they ended up on a bench outside a lit up store front, just taking a moment to breathe.

Most of their belongings had been left behind and probably in the bags of the cleanup crew. Thankfully the bike rental shop had insurance for something like this. 

Jack looked up at the skyscrapers, lit up like stars. He sighed with a hum. He still had his bag. He looked into it, Mark assumed it was for his phone, and pulled out a box of ritz crackers and chunky peanut butter.

Jack gave a half smile, and held them out to Mark.

Mark looked at them in stunned silence for a second before bursting into exhausted laughter and took a sleeve to open.

They used their hands to put the peanut butter on as they laughed and talked. Bumping shoulders, bumping hands, bumping noses.

The city was lit up by the softly neon glowing street signs as they shared a good night kiss that tasted like a beautiful sweet and salty mix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments keep us motivated! Thanks for reading!


	8. Episode 5 Teaser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teaser

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am officially back to writing, and I'm really excited to share these next two chapters with you as they are my favorite we've written so far! -Atm

_I see a cutie under a streetlight ;*_

**A night for themselves...**

Jack leaned in and kissed Mark on his temple, Mark blushing and smiling even wider with happiness. 

**In a nice restaurant...**

It was LGBTQ+ friendly, a free dessert if you proposed, and a price range that was surprisingly low for the kind of chefs they employed.

**But there's something malicious brewing in the corner...**

He was waiting, having set everything in motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming the 18th


	9. Episode 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes its best to let your anger simmer before acting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one and the next chapter are some of my favorite we've written. -A

It was finally the weekend, Mark was off and Jack had finally been taken off the nightshift. Mark was fixing his hair in the mirror, humming, and just generally being giddy for his date. He fixed his tie and assessed himself once more in the mirror before deciding if he messed with it anymore he would be late. He promised himself that he’d stop rushing from place to place for these dates so he’d gotten ready an hour early. 

He came out of his room to see Chica in her little doggy bed, a chew toy hanging out of her mouth while she snored lightly. She was so cute he could just eat her up. He walked over to her and patted her head. She stirred slightly, huffing and blinking her chocolate eyes open to look up at Mark. Her tail began to wag, thumping against the hardwood floor. 

“Hey sweetheart,” He whispered, “I’m heading out I’ll see you later tonight.” He placed a sweet kiss on top of her head and she lifted up to follow him to the door, chew toy still in her mouth.

“Alright, alright! Bye sweet girl!” He waved back to her before closing the door behind him.

. . .

The bus was a little late but since he’d gotten ready so early he wasn’t panicked as he excited the bus stop a block away from L’arc-en-ciel. The city was lighting up again as the sun was setting and street lamps were turning on one by one as Mark walked.

He made it outside the grand entrance of the French Restaurant. He and Jack had looked it up when looking for fancy-but-still-in-their-price-range restaurants in the city. This one had come up with great reviews, it was LGBTQ+ friendly, a free dessert if you proposed, and a price range that was surprisingly low for the kind of chefs they employed. 

He leaned against a street lamp and waited about fifteen minutes, scrolling through his phone resisting the urge to barrage Jack with texts.

Suddenly he got a text from Jack that had him jumping up and looking around,

_I see a cutie under a streetlight ;*_

Mark finally spotted him walking up in a nice suit and green bow tie, his heart stuttering seeing the gorgeous blue eyed man walking towards him with a crooked smile and crinkles around his eyes.

“Hey,” Jack said when he finally reached him, taking his unoccupied hand.

“Hey,” Mark breathed back, smiling wide and putting his phone away.

Jack leaned in and kissed Mark on his temple, Mark blushing and smiling even wider with happiness. 

“We’ve got twenty minutes, you wanna head in?” Mark asked, trying not to get lost in Jack’s eyes.

“Sure,” Jack smiled and stepped away from Mark, their hands entwined and headed through the large proscenium entrance. 

As they walked in, they were greeted by a surprisingly casual maitre’d. In her t-shirt and shorts. She grinned and gave the obviously rehearsed but still genuine greeting them, then led them to their table. Handing them menus, she then left and came back with a bottle of champagne. 

“On the house,” she said with a wink and a meaningful glance at their clasped hands.

The two men looked in disbelief and shrugged. 

“Thank you.” Mark said, giving Jack's hand a little squeeze.

“Of course. I’ll be back to get your orders in a few minutes!” The maitre'd then turned on her heel and walked back to her post.

A stroke of genius hit Mark, and he excused himself to the bathroom, leaving Jack at the table. Jack’s thoughts were racing, wondering if maybe Mark had rethought all of this, but when he came back he had a shit eating grin.

“You look like the cat that caught the canary. What are you scheming?”

“You’ll see.” Seeing the look on Jack’s face, Mark hastily elaborated. “It’s nothing bad, don’t worry.”

The waitress eventually came and took their orders. After some waiting, Mark got his Coq au vin, but Jack’s order still wasn’t there. Jack was wondering where it could be, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he heard a chant? No, not a chant, a song...and not just any song. As strains of “Happy Birthday” filled the air, Jack turned bright red. 

Mark gave him a peck on the cheek, whispering in his ear “I asked if they gave free dessert for short people.”

Jack vowed through clenched teeth that he would get his revenge, but grinned and beared it as he blew out the candle on the slice of cake with “you’re short” written on it in fancy chocolate writing.

As soon as the singing waiters left he turned on Mark. 

“That’s not very high and mighty of you.”

Mark stage-yelled “How’s the weather down there?” back.

Jack kicked him in the shin, but eventually softened after Mark gave him a hug. 

“Just so you know, the cake is mine and mine alone. I earned it.” Jack whispered on the verge of menacing in Mark’s ear.

Mark protested half heartedly, a burning smile on his face. “Well, I was the one who set it up!”

The two playfully bantered as their dishes circulated on their table. Mark feeding some of his soup to Jack, and Jack giving him some of his cake on a fork.

. . .

It had been two weeks since they fired him and in those two weeks he’d baked himself an army. He would have his vengeance on the restaurant that shunned him and make sure they would never serve a clafoutis again!

He was waiting in the corner of L’arc-en-ciel behind a cartoonishly large menu. He was waiting, having set everything in motion. He wanted to have a front row seat to his sweet but coldly served vengeance and it was almost time! 

It was when he lowered his menu that he caught sight of Mark and Jack, happily sharing their meals. 

Though this restaurant was LGBTQ+ friendly, he hadn’t seen a gay couple here in forever… Thought that might just be because he was in the kitchen all the time. Regardless, he was fascinated. They would laugh and banter while enjoying the food. The dark haired one had gotten a cake for the other one.

He just kind of sat there for a long time just staring at the two have a fun, lively date while giving each other looks of such affection that his own heart skipped a beat. It captivated him in a way that reminded him that he had a fiance at home, who didn’t know what he was doing, who had supported and loved him even after he lost his job. It made his heart ache and he smiled with slight tears in his eyes.

At that moment, as if the walls had been made of unrisen bread dough, the seams burst with growling foaming food stuff. 

Cassoulet, ratatouille, crème brûlée, pissaladiere, raclette, quiche, tartiflette, etc etc etc. It was like the menu had come to life and the dripping, sticking surfaces of each dish kamikazed themselves against the patrons.

“Oop,” The ex chef said suddenly watching Jack and Mark hide under their table from the initial food-splosion and then get chased out by a small but fiesty beef bourguignon. 

So he sat, unaffected as his forgotten creations wreaked havoc. 

“Well, I…” He said shrugging his shoulders, “I think I need to go back to Youssef.” Thinking fondly of cooking his fiancé up a nice brioche. 

. . .

Jack and Mark sat in an ambulance once again, towels around them after having gone through the quickly assembled emergency showers in case contaminates had been on the food.

Mark had his arm around Jack his towel also draped around him. “Well, that was a bust, but at least we got to eat some food tonight?”

Jack giggled ducking his face into Mark’s neck.

Mark let out a yelp, “Oh fuck! You’re nose its fucking freezing!”

This caused Jack to burst into even more laughter, tucking his nose into Mark’s neck again.

“Oh god! No, stop it!” Mark squealed as Jack began to tickle him.

It turned into an all out tickle brawl ending with them laughing so hard they were worried they’d throw up their food.

They finally calmed themselves down and bumped noses, just staring into each others’ eyes and enjoying a moment of calm.

“Hey!” A voice called to them.

When they looked up they saw a man who smiled widely at them. “Crazy huh?”

They smiled back and nodded.

The man then held out a coupon, “For uh… kind of ruining your date.” He smiled sheepishly and in the next second the crowd swallowed him up.

Jack and Mark stared at the coupon, unsure as to what just happened. What they were going to do with a coupon for the destroyed restaurant?

Mark shrugged, “Maybe next time?”

The two shared a laugh as they put another date into their calendars.


End file.
